The 36th MYBA Charter Show got off to a strong start today, welcoming visitors to nearly 90 yachts moored along the dock. Among the highlights is the MYBA Superyacht Chefs’ Competition, with Dockwalk serving as its media sponsor. The event challenges chefs and crew to push their creativity to the limit, crafting their ultimate charter menus alongside imaginative table settings.
The theme of this year's competition is “A Flower Feast for Breakfast,” which takes its cue from the host city of Sanremo — renowned as the “City of Flowers.” The concept celebrates and draws inspiration from the area’s long-standing flower-growing tradition — and the region’s roses, hydrangeas, genista, craspedia, anemones and poppies were out in force today — on the table settings as well as the remarkable culinary creations served up by some truly talented chefs.
This week's brief is to create three different breakfast dishes that could be served on different days of a charter, with each course served separately. All three courses must be served within a strict thirty-minute window. Chefs are judged on originality, creativity, choice of ingredients, flavor, presentation, technique and, of course, overall impression.
Complementing this is a separate challenge for the interior crew — to create a full table as they would for a charter, along with matching menus, with no bought or pre-made flower displays.
Day one was down to the 50-meter and over category to show off their skills — with chefs and crew from Quinta Essentia, Naia, Coral Island, Alva, Ghost II, Holdin' My Own and Raja II taking part. Their challenge was to impress a prestigious panel of judges including Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, one of the first South African chefs to obtain a Michelin star, Michelin-starred chef Colin McGurran from Antigua and Antonio Mellino who works alongside his sons at Ristorante Quattro Passi, which now boasts three Michelin stars.
It’s clear that the floral theme has given the chefs free rein to let their creativity flourish this year. Roses appeared everywhere, not only in the stunning floral displays, but also reimagined in yogurt parfaits, carved from avocado and artfully formed from bacon. Daisies showed up frozen in ice cubes, shaped into pretty mousses or rested atop delicate bowls of egg custard. Dried flowers were scattered over sourdough and edible flowers were suspended in clear, glossy jelly or steeped as fragrant teas.
The table settings reflected the stewardess’s creativity, seamlessly aligning it with the cuisine and the overall interior. Ranging from fresh, zesty yellows to homespun and East Asian–inspired touches, each yacht had its own distinct identity.
Menus took on a more artisanal character, with pressed petals artfully set into handmade paper. There was obvious planning in evidence — one crew had gone as far as scour the local beaches for a piece of weathered driftwood which, once sanded and whitewashed, became an inventive centerpiece for wild flowers when suspended above the table. One yacht created a bar, where guests were invited to take home a hand-wrapped posy. Another yacht crew dressed in floral dresses to match their creations.
As day one drew to a close, it was clear that the combination of technical precision and floral-inspired creativity set a high bar for the competition. With each yacht interpreting the brief in their own distinctive way, the judges face no easy task in narrowing down the standout performances.
Attention now turns to day two, where teams in the 36m to 49m size category will take their turn in the galley and at the table. If the opening day is any indication, the next stage of the MYBA Superyacht Chefs’ Competition promises an equally inventive showcase. Check back tomorrow for updates...